Gov. Walker talks tackling unions at Nevada town hall meeting

Walker writes in his proposal that in some states, workers are required to join a union and pay dues – sometimes as much as $1,000 per year, he notes – only to see that money spent on political campaigns they do not agree with, which he considers a violation of the freedom of speech. Walker successfully limited public employee collective-bargaining rights and instituted a statewide “right-to-work” regime.

Governor Walker says he wants to replicate a couple of his state initiatives, on the national level. That sparked massive protests and prompted Senate Democrats to leave the state for three weeks in an attempt to block the legislation.

The impact of Act 10 in Wisconsin is up for debate.

The campaign approach is different than ones he’s taken in the past.

“We transferred power from the big government union bosses to the hard-working people“, Walker said. Previously, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka called Walker a “national disgrace”, after the governor announced his candidacy for the presidency.

“The vast majority of federal workers do an outstanding job and deserve our appreciation and protection, which they will receive under a Walker administration”.

Under current law, employees at some federal agencies like the FBI, CIA, Secret Service and the Government Accountability Office are already prevented from unionizing. States would have the ability to override that policy.

Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act, requiring federal contractors to “pay their laborers and mechanics employed under the contract no less than the locally prevailing wages and fringe benefits for corresponding work on similar projects in the area”.

In the crowd gathered to listen to Scott Walker vow to “take on the big-government union bosses in Washington” at the Xtreme Manufacturing plant in Las Vegas on Monday, Gaye McDonald held a hand-lettered sign reading, “Scott Walker: fearless and proven leader”.

His Monday speech is a return to what made him an early favourite in 2016. Walker proposed restrictions on federal labor unions and the elimination of the National Labor Relations Board. Calling the Board “broken beyond repair” and “a one-sided advocate for big labor special interests”, Walker plans to divide up its responsibilities between federal courts and the National Mediation Board.

“Now that we have had the opportunity to watch Walker up close for months, his 2016 Iowa debut now looks to be an anomaly…Walker is struggling in a race that has put an emphasis on charisma and personality”.

“It’s no surprise he’s now trying to boost his sagging poll numbers by promoting the same kinds of attacks on working people that vaulted him to national prominence while conveniently ignoring how his policies left Wisconsin in shambles”, said a statement from Scot Ross, executive director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now. Now he’s proposing to go national with an effort to curb union clout. A survey Friday by Quinnipiac University found the onetime frontrunner in Iowa had dropped to 3% in the state that holds the nation’s first presidential caucus.

In that prank phone call he received from “David Koch” in 2011 – it was actually Buffalo disc jockey Ian Kennedy – Walker boasted of a story in which “every stereotypical blue-collar worker type” supported his moves against public sector unions.